Unequal aid

Minorities lack equal Medicaid coverage

A recent article in The New York Times points to a national disparity in Medicaid availability. According to the Times, 34 percent of the 31 million Hispanic people living in the United States have no health insurance. And while the situation grows increasingly worse for Hispanic Americans, other ethnic groups are left similarly uncovered. According to the article, 22 percent of blacks and 12 percent of non-Hispanic whites lack health insurance as well. Overall, the numbers equate to 43 million people in the nation without health insurance, up from 31 million a decade ago. These statistics point to a lack of national health care which affects all groups - and something needs to be done to change this in the future.

While citizens are often quick to point to the government when a problem arises, Medicaid is a complex program that inhibits blame from being placed on any one actor. Two weeks ago, President Clinton signed into law a bill which would prohibit the eviction of nursing home residents simply because they rely on Medicaid to pay their bills. This bill comes after a $48 billion dollar, 10-year program enacted two years ago to extend government health care to all poor children. According to The Detroit News, Vice President Al Gore promised that the administration will seek further legislation to "help ensure that funds designed to help our nation's elderly, poor and disabled are not siphoned away by con artists and the unscrupulous."

But with the positive measures taken by the federal government to assure national health care to the poor and elderly, they have taken steps backward as well. Consider the fact that as part of welfare reforms from three years ago, legal immigrants must wait five years before obtaining national health insurance.

And the problem is not only in other states across the nation - it is right here at home, too. According to the Detroit Free Press, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital-Oakland cut its Medicaid membership nearly in half, which will result in 3,400 of the organization's Medicaid members having to find new doctors. Similarly, the Free Press reported that the Detroit Medial Center, the Henry Ford and the St. John Health Systems - three of metro Detroit's largest health care providers - each posted multi-million dollar losses last year due in part to lower expected Medicaid reimbursements from the state.

In order for the government to stop waffling and support Medicaid wholeheartedly, the public needs to support universal care as well. And while many point to the negative aspects of universal health care, Medicaid has many social and economic advantages. Consider the fact that the emergency room care usually given to patients who lack health care is more expensive than the care they would receive under a health care plan. And by allowing people to treat problems early rather than waiting until emergency room care is needed, Medicaid helps improve people's quality of life.

Lack of funding for Medicaid is a problem that affects us all, not just the poor or the sick. While the government has taken some positive steps toward supporting Medicaid, full public support is needed to push Medicaid funding to the next level.

04-13-99